Turkey coup: Return of death penalty

August 8, 2016

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced in a massive rally in Istanbul that the return of the death penalty would be approved soon. However, it would be subject to the opinion of the parliament and the public. The rally took place after last month’s failed military coup. Mr. Erdogan also told that there would not be any supporter of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen in Turkey. According to the Turkish government, the cleric is responsible for the military coup that took place. The rally was attended by many religious figures and leaders of two of the three opposition parties in Turkey. Only the Kurdish party was left behind.

What happened because of the military coup?

• More than 270 people had been killed during the coup attempt, and it triggered a government fall.

• Thousands of supporters of Mr. Gulen were detained. Many were dismissed from government posts.

• Western nations are critical of the government’s reaction to the military coup. Turkey recently applied to join the European Union (EU). But EU has refused to accept capital punishment in the member states.

About five million people attended the rally that took place on the parade ground. The event was broadcast live on TV screens. Mr. Erdogan emphasized on approving the death penalty. He has assured that the parliament will decide on the capital punishment, and he will support the parliament’s decision. He mentioned that Turkey used to have death penalty until 1984. US, Japan, China and other parts of the world also has this punishment. So, there is nothing wrong if Turkey has death penalty again.